Construction on Stuart Street Bridge Honors the Public Garden

If you’ve been walking around Boston recently, you probably noticed the beginning of construction on the Stuart Street bridge downtown. The bridge connects the Liberty Mutual headquarters to its newest facility at 157 Berkeley St. A lot of thought went into the design of the bridge, but architects eventually opted to have the bridge modeled after one of our favorite bridges–the suspension bridge in the Boston Public Garden!

The iconic suspension bridge was originally built over the lake in the Public Garden in 1867. It was designed by William G. Preston, an architect based out of Massachusetts and Georgia. At the time, the bridge was the smallest suspension bridge in the world. In 1921, the bridge improved with the addition of its famous decorative girders. Right now, it no longer serves as a suspension bridge due to these girders. Over time, the bridge has been the subject of many paintings, photographs and news regarding our city.

It is touching to know that when builders want to find something that is authentic of Boston, they turn to the Public Garden. Sean Murphy, the design and construction director for the project, said that he wanted the bridge to “feel like a part of Boston” and immediately thought of the Public Garden’s famous bridge. We are so excited to see the finished product, which should be completed in the fall. You can see the resemblance between the two bridges already.